RELIEF AID. Chinese Consul General Jia Li turns over rice donations to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Visayas Disaster Relief Center in Mandaue City, Cebu on Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2021). Both the Chinese and Japanese governments have extended relief assistance to Cebu in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette, while Taiwan also send in donations through its Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Embassy) CEBU CITY - The governments of China and Japan have extended relief assistance to Cebu to help families here affected by Typhoon Odette. The Consulate General of China in Cebu turned over 1,500 tons of rice donated by Beijing to the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC), which is managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in Upper Tabok, Mandaue City on Tuesday. "Chinese and Filipinos are brothers and sisters. After the disaster, we cannot just stand by and watch what happened. We need to help in whatever way we can," Consul General Jia Li said in a statement Wednesday. The Chinese consul expressed that hopefully with their "efforts to help the affected individuals, they can recover and stand on their feet as soon as possible." We are willing to stand with the Filipinos to help overcome this difficulty and disaster," he said. The diplomat visited VDRC to see the situation on the ground and how DSWD in Central Visayas is rolling out resources to address the people's needs. Meanwhile, the City of Yokohama in Japan has sent out the first batch of disaster relief goods and supplies to its friendship city, Cebu City. The supplies included over 5000 facemasks, 18 sleeping bags, and 400 water cans. These supplies will be distributed to affected communities in Cebu City, in support of the efforts by local and national authorities," the Consulate General of Japan in Cebu said in a statement Wednesday. A second batch of relief goods and supplies is also set to arrive in early January 2022. "Japan is in solidarity with Filipinos in facing these tough times. We are steadfast in our commitment to help and lift off some of the hardship the affected people have experience," the Japan consular office said. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas also received donations from Taiwan through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines. In a ceremonial turn-over at the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City on Sunday (Dec. 26), DSWD-7 regional director Rebecca Geamala received the donations intended for the typhoon victims. She expressed her gratitude to the people of Taiwan for providing aid to the affected families of Typhoon Odette, saying that the Taiwanese government is already a longtime partner of the DSWD during disaster response. Representatives from the TECO, Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), and Philippine Air Force (PAF) attended the turnover activities. The first batch of donations arrived on December 25, 2021, which contained 350 boxes of water, 206 boxes of instant noodles, 18 boxes of canned tuna, and 100 boxes of cookies. The second batch arrived the following day, which contained 46 boxes of tents, 17 boxes of water filter, 835 boxes of food rations, and 125 boxes of cookies. The donated goods arrived at Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base via the Government of Taiwan's C130 aircraft. The donations will be distributed to typhoon victims in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental. (PNA) }